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Research ArticlesRebuilding Global Fisheries
After a long history of overexploitation, increasing efforts to restore marine ecosystems and rebuild fisheries are under way. Here, we analyze current trends from a fisheries and conservation perspective. In 5 of 10 well-studied ecosystems, the average exploitation rate has recently declined and is now at or below the rate predicted to achieve maximum sustainable yield for seven systems. Yet 63% of assessed fish stocks worldwide still require rebuilding, and even lower exploitation rates are needed to reverse the collapse of vulnerable species. Combined fisheries and conservation objectives can be achieved by merging diverse management actions, including catch restrictions, gear modification, and closed areas, depending on local context. Impacts of international fleets and the lack of alternatives to fishing complicate prospects for rebuilding fisheries in many poorer regions, highlighting the need for a global perspective on rebuilding marine resources.
1 Biology Department, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4J1, Canada.
2 School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195–5020, USA. 3 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California-San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093–0202, USA. 4 Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA. 5 Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106–5131, USA. 6 National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA. 7 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Marine and Atmospheric Research, General Post Office Box 1538, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia. 8 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, Lowestoft NR33 0HT, UK. 9 School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK. 10 Ministry of Fisheries, Post Office Box 1020, Wellington, New Zealand. 11 Wildlife Conservation Society Marine Programs, Post Office Box 99470, Mombasa, Kenya. 12 Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA. 13 Centro Nacional Patagónico, 9120 Puerto Madryn, Argentina. 14 Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824–3525, USA. 15 Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. * To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: bworm{at}dal.ca (B.W.); rayh{at}u.washington.edu (R.H.)
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)
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